An Exceptionally Tasty—and Satisfying—Customer Experience

Whatever product you’re selling or service you’re offering, it doesn’t take a lot to make a customer feel good—not only in regards to the specific product or service but the entire experience. By that I mean making the process a pleasing and appealing one every step of the way, from ordering to opening to operating.

Yet it’s amazing how many companies completely miss the mark when it comes to the total customer experience. Their product may be the greatest thing since sliced bread but the way they package it and support it is completely stale.

As a Customer Experience Evangelist, I’m always on the lookout for companies that find a way to go out of their way to make an appreciable difference in how things are done. The online food delivery service Munchery is my most recent example. They not only satisfied my craving for good, healthy meals but they met my expectations (exceeded them, truth be told) in the customer experience arena.

Over the years, I have compiled 50 Principles for Great Customer Experiences. Below are three that Munchery knocked out of the park.

Give consumers a positive pre-purchase experience.

Munchery’s website is not only easy to navigate, it’s a visual feast. All of the food items available to order for that day are photographed beautifully so you know exactly what you’ll be chowing down on when you select it. In addition, when you’re ordering more than one meal, it’s incredibly simple to place each dish in your shopping cart and then you’re returned to the main “menu” seamlessly. You’re also given the choice of when you would like your food delivered (several one-hour windows of time).

First-use only happens once so design it to be memorable.

My maiden voyage with Munchery was terrific all around. When my meal was on its way, the person delivering my dinner texted me to say he was on his way (within the time frame I had chosen). He texted again soon after to say he had arrived. The packaging was very appealing and (I’m happy to report) the food looked exactly like the photos on the website. To top it all off, Munchery had surprised me with a very large chocolate chip cookie as a thank you for being a first-time customer. It was not only a memorable addition, it was a delectable one (I’m happy to report).

The entire customer experience is as important as the product itself.

The folks at Munchery made me feel special by including a hand-written card that said: “Thanks for trying Munchery. We hope you enjoy first meal and this extra treat too!” To me, that’s a really nice personal touch. It costs nothing to do but creates a million dollar customer experience. It showed me that that they really cared about me choosing their “product” and wanted to make sure that I had a positive experience. Apropos of that, they followed up with an email the next day to seek my opinion of how they did. With the survey, I received an opportunity to get a discount coupon for my next order by referring Munchery to others.

Simplicity is also at the core of what Munchery is. And you can see it in their slogan:

“Fresh ingredients. Chef-made. Delivered. Ready when you are.”

Not only that, but it couldn’t be easier to get your meal ready to eat. Instructions for heating the food—it’s prepared earlier in the day and kept in a refrigerator—can be found right on the package in clear, concise terms, so you’ll know whether it should go in the oven or microwave and for how long. And for those who aren’t sure what should be heated and what shouldn’t (that would be me), they make that patently clear as well.

Yet while what they’ve accomplished looks simple, a great customer experience really involves a lot of thought. If you’re looking to bring this same level of quality to your customers, I can help.